Extend financial support for EVs, government told

Government must provide greater clarity on regulations, fiscal incentives and innovation support to drive manufacturing and demand for low emission vehicles, a leading climate body has claimed.

Aldersgate Group, which represents businesses and organisations in the environmental sector, has issued the comments ahead of the government’s Zero Emission Vehicle Summit, which convenes in Birmingham today (11 September).

Government has been urged to extend financial incentives for plug in vehicles

The Summit brings together policy makers and industry figures from across the zero emission vehicle field.

In a policy paper issued this morning, Aldersgate has called for concerted action from government to increase uptake in zero and low emission vehicles.

Policies advocated by the group include providing greater clarity on transport measures to be implemented post-Brexit, delivery of ‘affordable and efficient’ charging infrastructure and standards on smart charging.

Ambition

Titled ‘Driving ambition: accelerating the transition to zero emission vehicles’, the policy paper also advocates additional fiscal incentives to support consumers and businesses to purchase cleaner vehicles, until they reach cost parity with conventional vehicles.

Nick Molho, executive director of the Aldersgate Group, said: “Significantly cutting emissions from road transport is both an urgent environmental imperative and a unique economic opportunity for the UK. We will only get there however if the government provides much greater clarity on how vehicle emissions need to reduce in the 2020s, provides stable grant and tax incentives to drive consumer demand and stands ready to take the necessary measures to ensure that manufacturers play their part in meeting the public and business demand for clean vehicles.”

“If we are to fully decarbonise transport by 2050, technological changes are only part of the picture. The government also needs to plan ahead and consider the shifts in travel patterns and infrastructure needs that are required to improve the overall efficiency of the transport system, from passenger travel to freight transport.”